LOST LUGGAGE

Be Prepared
I usually shake my head in disgruntled fashion when I see fellow airline passengers allowed to maneuver large, so-called carry-on luggage through narrow isles, holding up others as they attempt (frequently without success) to weight-lift and shove it into overhead bins only to dislodge or scrunch and flatten hats, coats and other more reasonably-sized carry-on items.

But considering the lost-luggage statistics just released for 2005, I wonder whether I should stop checking in my luggage. Some 10,000 pieces of luggage a day were lost by airlines in 2005. While this is a sobering number, to be fair to airlines, this translates to fewer than 10 in 1,000 pieces, and most of them do find their way to owners eventually.

Well, I will at least make sure to think about which items I would not like to do without for a day or two on my next business trip, and pack them in my carry-on bag (for starters, my toothbrush, pillowcase cover, undies, socks... and picture of my family; I guess I'll have to purchase a wine bottle opener should the luggage get lost, as my trusty swiss army knife would be confiscated by the TSA).